The Psycological Theory Behind "The Black Swan"

Everyone has their own interpretation and theories behind books, movies, etc. In Darren Aronofsky’s 2010 movie “Black Swan” I believe there are many different theories that could explain what is behind the bazaar psychological thriller. Some people’s theories are behind the mother-daughter relationship which would in Psychological terms deal with attachment. There are also theories behind eating disorders and stress which could cause mental disorders and personality disorders. Are mental illnesses and personality disorders the same? Watching the movie with different theories in mind, I believe that we can roll all the theories into one and come up with one Psychological illness or diagnoses. First let’s start with a quick plot of “Black Swan.” Nina is a talented ballet dancer and frontrunner for the lead role as the Black and White swan (Swan Queen) in the production of Swan Lake. Nina’s life revolves around making the lead role in the production which seems to stress her out and looks like she might have an eating disorder as well. Throughout the movie between the auditions and practicing for the grand performance of the new and improved Swan Lake we get a glimpse of Nina’s private life at home as well as her relationships and social interactions with others. There is the relationship between Nina and her mother which sparks some theory behind Nina’s odd behavior. The relationship between the two seems as though the mother is a bit controlling and treats Nina as a child and also tries to live her life through Nina’s dancing because she failed as a dancer. Next, there is the relationship between Nina and Thomas her ballet director. Thomas knows Nina has what it takes to take the lead in the show but tries to get her to embody the black swan role by trying to get her to loosen up. She is as Thomas describes throughout the movie a frigid little girl. However he does this through seduction, or is that all in her head? And last but not least is the...

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BlackSwanBlackSwan is a compelling and distinctive movie about a woman who is trying to get in touch with her dark side. Nina Sayers, the main character, has been chosen for the role of the Swan Queen, yet her innocence refuses to develop a relaxed mind throughout the film. Confusing her is the anxiety, hallucinations, and visions, which she has to deal with in order to achieve the state of “perfection” she desires, as she progresses in evolving her role as the BlackSwan. In this essay I would like to address the negative relationships Nina’s mother is imposing on her, and her relationship with her director Thomas Leroy.
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...Mass Communication – Assignment – BLACKSWAN
Casts
Release Date: December 3, 2010 (Limited) On DVD: March 29, 2011 Genre: Suspense, Drama Director: Darren Aronofsky Writer: Mark Heyman, John McLaughlin Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey, Sebastian Stan, Kristina Anapau Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures Official site: blackswan2010.com Running Time: 103 minutes MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use.
Introduction
This movie is about two different characters namely Blackswan and the white swan. The Blackswan symbolizes the evil tamed side of humans whereas the white swan symbolizes the untamed and the fragile side of humans. In the movie she repeats these words "I felt it, Perfect, It was perfect”
At its centre is young ballerina Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman. She is beautiful, vulnerable, sexually naive and susceptible to mental illness. To play the role of a lifetime, Nina must delve deep into her own dark side. As her hallucinations and anxiety attacks escalate in tandem with her progress in rehearsal, artistic breakthrough fuses with nervous breakdown. This is a movie about fear of penetration, fear of your body, fear of being supplanted in the affections of a powerful man, love of perfection, love of dance, and perhaps most...

...﻿
It all started with the desire of a ballerina to get the main role in their recital “Swan Lake”, in which the chosen ballerina would portray not only the white swan but the blackswan as well. However, this person who aspire to get the part, lack the characteristics that the blackswan possesses, that may be the cause of all the strange things that is happening to her, Nina Sayers, the protagonist of the movie.
Nina who is on her late 20’s yet lives with her mother, who I assume where Nina gets her passion for dancing. Moreover, it’s not only that she lived with her but also seems to be dependent on her even in the littlest thing, like; preparing her food, cutting her nails and decides for her overall as if she’s still a child. Furthermore, she’s a perfectionist that shows off every time she dances. She’s very careful when dancing that illustrates uptight movements as if she practiced it a thousand times which she does anyway. For this reason, the director sees that she doesn’t suit the part that’s why she was not chosen at first. Nevertheless, even though Nina depicts fragile personality that she always follow things been said to her, surprisingly, she ask him - why she didn’t get the part? And after saying his reasons, he ended up kissing her abruptly that force Nina to show her different side by biting his lips. In spite of the shock, she indeed get the part that results in even...

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...Abstract
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...﻿BLACKSWAN
I. CHARACTERS:
Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers (The Swan Queen): A young perfectionist ballet dancer who wants to take the role of the Swan Queen. She was pressured by her retired ballerina mother on pursuing her dream.
Mila Kunis as Lily (The BlackSwan): A new ballerina who personify the BlackSwan flawlessly. She is also Nina’s understudy.
Vincent Cassel as Thomas Leroy: The director, a control freak, a true artist using sexuality to direct his dancers.
Barbara Hershey as Erica Sayers: Nina’s controlling and persuasive mother. She’s a retired ballerina.
Winona Ryder as Beth MacIntyre: An aging ballerina who forced to retire by Thomas. She’s also Nina’s definition of “Perfect” when it comes to ballet.
II. SUMMARY:
In the movie BlackSwan, Nina Sayers (played by Natalie Portman), a young dancer in a prestigious New York City ballet company, lives with her mother, Erica, a former dancer. The company is preparing to open the season with Swan Lake. The director, Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), has to cast a new principal dancer after forcing Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder) into retirement. Leroy wants the same ballerina to portray the innocent, fragile White Swan as well as her dark, sensual twin, the BlackSwan. Nina auditions for the part, performing...

...Reaction Paper on the film, “BlackSwan”
Anonymous
The movie, BlackSwan, is about Nina, a ballerina whose life is consumed with dance. At the beginning of the film, the company where she belongs to is preparing to open the season with Swan Lake. Like any other ballet dances, Swan Lake has a story - it is about a pure and sweet girl trapped in a swan’s body and the only way to break the spell is true love.
Nina lands the role of the Swan Queen – but, the role of the Swan Queen requires a dancer who can play both the White and the BlackSwan. The White Swan is an epitome of control, grace, and innocence. Contrary, the BlackSwan requires the dancer to dance freely and lose inhibition. The two roles are complete opposites of one another; thus, this becomes the dilemma of the heroine. The leading actress played a role of a ballerina who trained and danced classical ballet all her life. Therefore, she has been perfecting moves that require precision, grace, and control – due to this, she fitted the role of the White Swan perfectly. Unfortunately, she had a hard time personifying the role of the BlackSwan.
Nina portrayed the difficult life of a ballerina. She has been training and dancing all her life with one goal in mind – to be the lead dancer...